Handheld devices, such as mobile phones and tablets have become commonplace in society. Nearly all mobile phones and tablets are equipped with a camera that is capable of taking still pictures and moving images. In addition to the original equipment camera found on the handheld devices, there are also many aftermarket products that augment the operation of the camera including telephoto lenses and microscope attachments that fit over, or attach to the handheld device.
However, in the typical handheld optical systems where a close-up or magnified image is taken, there is a tradeoff between holding the optical system at the optimal focal length and keeping the handheld steady enough to take a blur free picture, especially at high magnification. Often there is also a challenge to correctly light the field of view as the objective lens needs to be closer to the area to be imaged leaving little room to fit light sources.
Thus, while there are many aftermarket products for obtaining close-up and magnified images with handheld cameras, there exists a need for an optical system that can improve on the image quality of close-up and magnified images obtained with handheld devices